Heaven 17 - Penthouse And Pavement

What this video is

Released in November 1981 alongside Heaven 17's debut album on Virgin Records, this promo arrived at a pivotal juncture in British pop culture: the post-punk landscape was fragmenting into synth-pop, New Romantic, and electro-funk substreams, while Thatcherite economics and yuppie aspiration were reshaping public consciousness. Heaven 17 — formed by ex-Human League members Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh alongside…

Why it matters

A foundational artefact of British synth-pop's corporate-irony wing, the video fused New Wave visual language with funk-influenced performance energy to establish an aesthetic template Heaven 17 would refine throughout their career. It represents an early instance of a pop act weaponising brand…

The director

Irish-British filmmaker born in Dublin (1956), son of filmmaker Zelda Barron. Began career as a camera assistant on A Bridge Too Far (1977), Superman (1978), and The Duellists (1977). Made his music video directorial debut in 1979 with Secret Affair.…